


Note to Self

by Kaioken95



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Sburb Session, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M, OTP Feels, POV Dirk Strider, Rarepair, Roommates, Students, University
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:00:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27817921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaioken95/pseuds/Kaioken95
Summary: Alone in the library, first thing in the morning on a Saturday. You've got just over 48 hours to finish all your assignments and hand them in, no distractions, you need to focus.Your name is Dirk Strider, and you find yourself here in this situation, trying to get all your work done but your focus and thoughts keep drifting to your boyfriend, and this no time to be daydreaming...
Relationships: John Egbert/Dirk Strider
Kudos: 1
Collections: DirkJohn Big Bang 2020





	Note to Self

It was so nice and quiet. No distractions, no loud noises. Just peaceful silence. That's just what Dirk needed right now, in order to focus. He was typing away on his laptop, the screen reflecting in his dark orange eyes. It had almost been two hours since he started at this, and so far it was progressing nicely. It was easier to work here in the campus library, especially early on a Saturday morning where it was practically deserted, and that was just perfect for him. 

Lately, he found it rather difficult to get work done back in the comfort of his dorm room. This was largely due to John’s various antics or constantly bothering Dirk. His boyfriend was like a puppy sometimes… A 6ft-something, slightly hairy, clingy puppy, needing constant love and attention. But then again, Dirk was always a lover of animals. He kept glancing over to his phone, and thoughts about his boyfriend crept into his head, expecting a confusing message from him asking where Dirk had gone.

* * *

_The curtains were closed, keeping the first rays of sunlight out. Dirk yawns, rising from his slumber, the sound of his alarm ringing off his phone. He rolls over to see John still sleeping despite the obnoxious noise of Dirk’s phone, he rubs his eyes, sitting in his bed, pushing the blanket off himself. Dressed in his favorite rainbow dash Pyjamas, he glances over to the dresser, his phone, and his signature triangle shades. Another yawn falls from his mouth as he starts to get himself ready..._

__

_Dirk was now sitting on his side of the bed, showered and fully dressed in his hoodie and pants, getting ready to head out, while John was sleeping, snoring as he was hugging the other’s pillow that Dirk had put in his spot as an alternative to keep John from noticing his absence. He nuzzles against it which makes Dirk chuckle, reaching over he gently strokes his hair, his hand sliding down, fingers trailing up and down his cheek._

_Standing up quietly, he grabs his laptop, placing it into his backpack along with two books, and some other gadgets he’ll need. Tiptoeing out of their room, slowly opening the door, slightly creaking which makes Dirk grit his teeth, looking back at John, but thankfully he was still in a deep slumber…_

* * *

Of course. Even when he’s trying to focus, John is on his mind. There was nothing more relaxing than him being held in John’s big strong arms, snuggling with him. Dirk just shakes his head, no this is not the time for that, the sooner he finishes this section, the sooner he can head back home. 

“Okay Dirk, just type a few more pages, and then you can head back...” 

His eyes narrow, focusing on the screen, he was beginning to get repetitive with his writing. But considering all the essays he’s written since high school, it was bound to happen. He rubs his eyes, sighing, he deletes a few paragraphs that were sounding too similar and starts again. 

“You couldn’t just be satisfied with ONE degree, you just had to take the Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing, on top of Technology and Engineering, and History just for the hell of it.” 

He groans, running his fingers through his messy blond locks. It was his own fault, for giving himself a large workload but he also liked the challenge it brought. His time management skills were fucking excellent, being able to balance out his studies, a part-time job, his friends, and a relationship. He was intelligent enough to handle the workload of his many courses where he didn’t struggle too much. 

But like many others, he hit a wall, he always preferred the practical end to his degrees as opposed to the written side. A groan of defeat leaves his lips, as he puts his head on the table, slightly butting his forehead against the wooden surface. Maybe if he hit hard enough, a spark of an idea, a new idea would flow…That or he’ll give himself a bruise or a minor concussion. 

Lifting his head back up, he decides a small break might help him. Dirk grabs his phone, unlocking it, scrolling through his apps, it was still quite early so not many of his friends would be awake unless they had work or classes. So he opens one of his games, waiting for the screen load, sitting back in his chair, his fingers sliding across the screen as his avatar character jumping over the obstacles and collecting gold coins. 

A grumble erupts from his stomach, he really should’ve grabbed some breakfast on his way here, can’t focus on an empty stomach you know. Well, that’s what John would always say, hell so did Jane and his brother. The campus canteen wouldn’t be open for another hour or so, and he wasn’t in the mood to go and grab something off-campus. After he makes some more progress then, he’ll get something to eat, he locks his phone and resumes typing away at his laptop…

* * *

_Dirk is carrying a trio of boxes, carefully moving so as not to drop any of them, he had to keep glancing over the sides, since everything ahead of him was blocked by the boxes. Narrowly avoiding other students in the hallway, his grip on the largest box at the bottom was starting to slip, praying to his non-existence gods not to drop any of these. That was the last thing he needed on his first day on campus, transitioning from shitty high school to possibly shitter college, though he was confident he would be around more like-minded non-ape individuals, falling over with several boxes containing your personal items in front of these people is not what you want._

_Fuck. He felt his boxes moving down, he was halfway there, not now. This was gonna be it, the first impression he was gonna give to his possible dorm neighbors was that he was a clumsy nerd. At least that’s what he thought…_

_“Hey! You need a hand over there?” A voice calls out to Dirk, he then hears someone rushing towards him, feeling another pair of hands brush his own, before gripping the other side of the boxes, alleviating a great deal of the weight from the boxes._

_“Oh, thank you so much, you're a real lifesaver.” Dirk thanks his unlikely savior as they stand there._

_“No problem, you looked like you were struggling, so I figured I would help ya out.” Dirk can see the top of this guy’s messy black hair, he was as tall as the boxes, he was quite strong, as he could feel him holding up most of the weight._

_“How far are we traveling with these?” He asks Dirk as they start moving again._

_“My room is 1303, just a few more doors.” He answers as they awkwardly walk with the boxes._

_“1303? Oh, dude, that’s my room, I guess that makes you my new roommate?” Small world huh? The guy helping was gonna be his new roomie for the next potential 4 years. Dirk tries to peek around to get a view of this guy._

_“Well if this isn’t the definition of coincidence...” He says chuckling slightly. “I’m Dirk, nice to meet you... Um...”_

_“John!” The other peeks his head around the box, Dirk’s orange eyes met with John’s dark blue._

* * *

That really was a happy coincidence on that day, hard to believe it’s been two years since he met John. Back then he barely said a few words to him, just the essential conversation, a few ‘heys’ and ‘sup’. It took him about a few days before he started making the effort to get to know John. Turns out as many differences the two had, there quite a few things they had in common too. They respected each other’s space (most of the time), and eventually they got comfortable around each other.

“Wait?! What am I doing…” Dirk almost yells but stops remembering where he was. He was getting off track again with this, why on earth did that memory rise to the surface of his mind. Thinking about John was not gonna help him finish this assignment. 

“Focus Strider, focus.” He starts typing again, alternating his vision between the bright laptop screen and one of his books for references, checking through his notes, the occasional eye rub when the screen. The words of his essay reflect in his tired orange optics. 

* * *

_Dirk had a little too much drink at the party, trying to fit in was never his specialty but most of his friends were in attendance and he didn’t wanna spend the night in his dorm alone. But nowhere he was, around 2 in the morning, barely conscious as John was carrying him on his back. After throwing up, the other decided it was time to head back home. John wasn’t much of a drinker and yet, he could handle it more efficiently than Dirk could. And thankfully it was a short walk back to the dorms, he kept glancing back at his friend, a few hiccups, a groan in pain._

_“Not to worry buddy, not long now. Just lemme know if you’re gonna throw up again…” He teases him, Dirk just glares at him._

_“Y-your lucky I’m so-” he gags. “O-otherwise I’d throw up on you just for s-spite.” Dirk mumbles, his face was the definition of nausea, and he had to keep stopping to gag between his words._

_“Is that any way to treat your loyal roommate and current mode of transportation.” John smirks, knowing that the hangover Dirk would be experiencing in the morning would be funny._

_Dirk sighs, his cheeks are red from both the alcohol and his embarrassment. Luckily he wasn’t the only one who threw up at the party, and at least one other person threw up on someone, that along with a chair being thrown into a pool, Dirk’s social image would be fine._

_“T-thank you…” He says softly, jokes and teasing aside he was grateful that John took care of him, and was willing to walk in the cold autumn night carrying him. The other doesn’t say anything for a moment before a little chuckle leaves his lips._

_“Ah, no worries, what are friends for? I know you’d do the same for me. I mean you could try carrying me on your back with those noodle arms and probably make about 6 steps before giving up but I’d appreciate the gestu-” John stops hearing the faintest snoring sound, looking back to see Dirk asleep._

_“Cute…” He smiles continuing to walk down the street with Dirk._

* * *

Well, Dirk had made some more progress, another whole page, and just five more left, he was only gonna do three pages anyway but he was almost halfway there. Hitting another wall, he was frustrated and had almost given up, his head laying on the table, maybe another break would be best. No. You’ll end procrastinating, leaving this to the last minute, and having a meltdown again. The activity in his brain was becoming slower, he needed a recharge, or a pick me up of some kind. He had now been here almost three hours, made less progress than he had hoped to in this amount of time, hungry, frustrated, and losing focus altogether. 

“Wow, looks like a lot of serious studying going on here. I can see you’re hard at work.” Dirk’s head shoots up from the desk to see John standing there, dressed in his varsity jacket, jeans, and boots, in one hand was a plastic bag containing the sweetest and savory of aromas, and in his other two large coffees in a holder, small steam was rising from them. 

“Figured I’d find you here, and of course I thought you’d skipped breakfast so I made a few stops before coming here.” He places the bag and coffees down on the table beside Dirk, the moaning of his stomach got louder, he didn’t wait for any indication as he went for the bag, the first thing was a blueberry muffin which he savagely takes a bite out of. 

“Mmm… So fuckin good.” He speaks with a mouthful, something he didn’t normally do but he was starving. He then goes through the bag searching for more food. A freshly cooked croissant, something with sausage, egg in a wrap, some fruits, he basically took one of each thing. “Love you SO much…” 

“So, how’s the essay going?” John takes a seat beside his partner who just gives him a look that states ‘don’t ask’ while he continues munching. “I woke up after you left and figured, you had to be here since I figured you don’t jog or have any classes or work, so I thought of your other natural habitat.” 

“I just needed a quiet place to study. No loud snoring or distractions.” Dirk says while his boyfriend just smiles, not even offended by that statement since he was well aware of his snoring that could break through walls, and that he either intentionally or unintentionally disrupted Dirk’s studying. 

“And how’s that going for ya?” John grins at the other, Dirk responds to his question with a sigh.

“Not as progressive as I intended, I should be almost finished, at 75% done. And yet I’ve just done about 45%.” 

“Dude… You’re not a computer or a robot, despite your tendencies to act like one. You can’t force this to move quicker, considering how busy you’ve been and that this is essay number…” The way he would speak sometimes, John wondered if Dirk was just a robot in disguise wanting until he gathered enough information on humanity and overthrew us all with his robot brethren. 

“Three essays, and a report.” Another noise of displeasure, he had been doing a lot all week.

“See, even your brain has its limits.” He reaches over to Dirk, messing up his hair, making the other pull away from him. “I know much of this isn’t my subject, and to be honest this looks difficult, buuttttt…. You want me to help you out?” 

Dirk looks at him, for a split second he thought John was being sarcastic, but the expression on his eyes, those big blue eyes staring at him. A faint smile appears on his face, even though John’s knowledge on these topics was only what he learned from him, from a few conversations to reading some of his previous works. 

“That’s incredibly sweet and all, and a typical trope of your character. However I don’t think you can help me write this, but this…” He gestures to the food and also to John himself. “This is enough.”

Those simple words made John smile, to be honest, he was here moral support for Dirk, and his boyfriend’s habits enough to know what he could do for him, just being next to him, keeping him company was all Dirk needed. “Okay, but first things first, let’s make sure you have no extra distractions...” 

John leans over to that usual playful grin on his face, Dirk’s face on instinct lights with blush expecting John to kiss, but this was another trope in his character, a trick. He grabs Dirk’s phone off the other side of the table. “No phone to distract with notifications, messages, or games.” 

“Hey what the-” Before Dirk can argue back, John pushes another breakfast wrap into his mouth. 

“Now finish off your breakfast, and then let’s finish off this essay, and you won’t be working all day on this. We’ll keep going until about 11, then we’ll take a break, and then start later on. You’ve got until Tuesday to finish this off.” John then starts organizing the books around Dirk, making it all neat.

“We can go over your notes, tell me what book or extract you’ll need, and if you need to stop for a bit just say so.” He gives Dirk a quick peck on his cheek, he was okay spending his weekend helping him finish off his assignments in time. 

“Determined to help me out, aren’t ya?” Dirk chuckles, placing his hand on John’s lap. “Thank you, really.” 

It was a kind gesture, and he knew the other’s heart was in the right place, despite coming here for solitude away from John in order to focus, and yet here he was with him, and already he felt more relaxed. Dirk of course often forgets that he got some of his best work done with John next to him, or just being near made him feel better, he liked it. He’d rather type away on his computer on a couch or bed with John as opposed to a massive classroom with hundreds of people he doesn’t know or all alone in a library at some ungodly hour... 

* * *

_Dirk was sitting with John on the towel, watching all their friends’ stuff while they were playing volleyball or swimming. They were gonna take turns, and even though John wanted to head out to the water, he wanted to keep his sulking boyfriend company. Also, he was trying his best not to laugh at what Dirk was wearing, John had on a simple Hawaiian shirt, long swimming trunks, and sandals, typical beachwear. And Dirk was wearing thick shades, his thick hoodie, shorts, and shoes, and to top it all off, a large sunflower hat compliments of Roxy._

_“I just… I just don’t see the point of beaches, extreme heat, and sand getting in all the wrong places.” Dirk moans, not wanting to be here but being outvoted and overpowered. He has been complaining since they left the dorms to come here with their friends._

_“Says the guy in a hoodie in summer weather… And to be honest, you don’t see the point in a lot of human things, isn’t it part of your programming to learn and experience everything about us…” That comment warrants an unassumed look from Dirk._

_“Well we’re here now, and Roxy and I are the only ones who can drive. So just enjoy it, besides that sunhat looks ador-”_

_“I dare you to finish that sentence. Just remember, I know your sleeping pattern, and I can make it look like an accident.” Dirk was well aware of the rather odd choice of his attire._

_“Ah, come on I’m only teasing. I think you look cute no matter what.” John throws his arm around Dirk._

_“That’s so cheesy…” Dirk looks away from John, the obvious blush on his face from his comment, and how close he was to him._

* * *

A few days later, John was just finishing up a practice game with his friends, no classes today so he was just doing his regular thing until Dirk’s classes for the day were finished. After scoring a point, he takes a break letting one of his teammates tag in for him, seating on the bench, a little out of breath, sweaty all over, noises of taking a shot from his water bottle, he searches for his phone, he sees he’s got a message from Dirk.

Dirk: John!!!  
Dirk: Holy shit!  
Dirk: Where are you?  
John: Basketball practice. What’s up?  
Dirk: Assignments have been sent off.  
Dirk: No more essays for at least a month.  
John: Dude. That’s great ;P  
John: I bet you’re feelin a lot better

John smiles, he was pleased for Dirk, he knew how stressed he was getting, and how hard last week was. He knew that Dirk was probably internally jumping with joy, but it was fun to imagine him behaving like that. Rummaging through his gym bag for his towel, using it to wipe off his forehead, and all over his face, then putting his specs back on his face while he rested. Another message ping from Dirk...

John: Yeah, I’m gonna be another hour so...  
John: If you wanna head back to the dorm first and we can meet later?  
Dirk: Yeah, sure thing, where do you wanna eat?  
John: Hmm…  
John: Taco Bell?  
Dirk: No, we had that last night.  
Dirk: Panda Express?  
John: They always mess up my order.  
Dirk: Alright, how about we decide when we meet.  
John: Okay, cool.  
Dirk: Also.  
Dirk: Thanks again for helping me finish this.  
John: Aww babe, your welcome!  


“Hey John, tag in!” One of his teammates calls out, needing a quick bathroom break. "Alright, I'm coming." John just waves back giving him the okay, taking another swig from his water bottle, before quickly typing a message back to Dirk. 

John: Also, really sorry but I gotta get back, talk soon ♡  
Dirk: ♡  
Dirk: Okay, talk later.   
John: ♡♡♡

**Author's Note:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this piece, thanks to the mod team for organizing this event. 
> 
> And a big thank you to the artist who drew these amazing pieces, their Instagram account is @kleinhase_22


End file.
